The Purpose of Events and What We Must Keep in Mind while Organising One

Tarang Khurana

An event is just like any business or a startup - you have to provide the people with not only what they want, but also what they could only dream of, and not what you think is right for them.

The most common and the most effective crowd gathering activity any new organisation at a high school or an undergraduate level can do is organise great events.

What does organising an event do for an organisation?

 

First and foremost, organising any kind of gathering – be it formal, informal, small scale or large scale - helps the organising committee reach a different level of professional bonding, and also helps the relatively new members get a good insight into the working of the parent organisation.

Secondly, organising an event is no piece of cake, it requires a proper planning of every aspect from guests, marketing, budgeting, permissions, work distribution, sponsorships, to an endless set of tasks. An event with; let's say an expected participant number of 250 requires about 75 days of efficient planning, while maintaining a normal school or college schedule. The most important aspect of all is the research that goes into the structuring of an event. The venue of the event has to be properly assessed and the expectations of the target audience attending the event have to be properly analysed. This research defines the entire flow of the event and gives the organising committee a base to build on.

But what is the purpose of the event from the attendee’s point of view?

Every single attendee registers or makes herself/himself available for the duration of the event so that she/he receives more than what they are investing. Well, that is the basic thumb rule for any customer in a shop as well.

So, what organisations do to fulfill the needs of their attendees, is that they try to create an impact, try to instigate a change in that particular segment which the event is about.

Just like the customer care after the sale of a product, the event organizers also have to follow a procedure to stay in touch with the community they build after each small event. They achieve this by keeping all their attendees in the loop of every other new venture they plan and also take feedback about the events they attended.

So, events are an opportunity for any organisation to enter the market and directly build a good customer base. Also, it acts as a survey involving a wide range of customers on their experience with the organisation's product or service. And if the organisation is able to retain even a mere 20% of its attendees after every event, then that organisation would have branding as the least of its concerns and would be getting a free of cost snowball effect publicity.

Personally speaking, you really have to be spontaneous and a street-smart individual to pull of an event of any scale, considering the fact that even after months of planning and multiple test runs, half of the event is carried out on instincts - so be sure to have a “Crisis Management” team!

According to you, what are the other important points to note and learn while conducting an event? Do share your experiences and inputs with us, in the comment section below!